S​ometimes when the weather is cold, you’d rather just order a pizza and sit in front of YouTube or the TV but now the weather has warmed up, your thoughts may be turning to those juicy steaks you enjoyed last summer or you may be inspired to find some new barbecue recipes to try this year. But hey, did the grill get cleaned?

In an ideal world the grill is cleaned up perfectly after use and put away for the winter but somehow it often happens that you just don’t get around to it.

If it has been left out and has been exposed to the elements, what can you do to make your grill usable again?

Rusty grates?

There are no shortcuts in life but there are a couple of simple ways to remove the rust as easily as possible.

Here are some of the solutions you most likely have in your cupboard that you can use today.

Vinegar and bicarbonate of soda​

Brush away as much of the surface rust as possible with a wire brush

Take a cup of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and add vinegar to make a paste. It will froth and bubble

Put the grates into a bag (a garbage bag is ideal) and spread the mixture over them or pour it in so it covers the grates. Seal the bag.

Leave it anywhere from an hour to overnight to do its work

Rinse and replace in your BBQ

If your grates are non-removable, simply sprinkle them with bicarbonate of soda and heat up the grill until the soda begins to bubble. Let the grill cool and use a brush to remove the now loosened rust.

Lemon Juice and washing powder

Mix lemon juice with detergent to form a thick paste

Spread this over the grates so they are covered

Put the grates in a bag as before and seal them in

Leave overnight, then wipe or scour them

Rinse and replace in your BBQ

Vinegar and salt

Mix a cup of salt with 2 cups of vinegar

Put the grates in a bag, pour the mixture in as above and seal it

Wipe/scour the grates the next day

Rinse and replace in your BBQ

If your grates are have really resistant burnt on debris and need something a bit more, make a paste out of salt and water and use a wire brush or steel wool pad to scrub the rust off.

Cola drinks (and this is why Cola is not the Figtree Products’ family drink of choice)

It is quite well known that cola has the potential to dissolve rust. The reason for this is the ingredient phosphoric acid.

If you Google ‘phosphoric acid’ you may find commercial rust-removing products. While these must undoubtedly contain a more concentrated formulation, we think a bottle of cola will work just fine..

If you want to drink it too, that’s up to you. But for the time being just seal your grates in a bag with the cola overnight and see if it does what they say it does. We haven’t actually tried this one because there’s not often cola around. If you want to know what effect phosphoric acid can have on the body and have time to Google it, have a look.

TipCoat your grates in vegetable oil before the next session. It will help prevent food sticking and help with rust resistance. Happy grilling!